Moduls for Thermo-CYCLER-Applications

M-Series Modules

In 2002 this modified module line was introduced, giving an extraordinary reliability. The cycling stability was achieved by improvements of the diffusion barriers of the thermoelectric materials as well as the mechanical design.

The standard test for cycling used to be 40°C/90°C in 5-6 minutes turned out to be too long lasting for the new modules. A lifetime test until failure would have taken several years. Therefore a new test was created to face the higher demands of cycling applications at a reasonable testing period.

In Fig. 1 an overview over the new test cycles is given with temperature cycles up to 120°C in 20 sec. Fig. 2 shows the experimental setup with an alternator for power supply.

The higher standard of the new modules is shown in the failure criteria. A module is failing the test when the inner AC-resistance is lowered by 5% of its initial value. The module is still working after the failure only showing a slightly worse performance.

Fig. 1: Optimized test procedure for Thermo-CYCLER Applications

Fig. 2: Experimental Setup for Cycling-tests

MM-Series-Modules

The Modules of the MM-Line were developed for applications with a still higher demand for cycling stability such as “Burn-In”-Tests for CPU QA or PCR-Cycler.
The MM-Series is a further development on the M-Series and has specifications for higher cycling stability.
The mechanical design was optimized to take up the forces induced by thermal expansion

Table 1 shows the cycling stabilities of the M-series and MM-series Modules.